Has the scale ever taken on magical properties in your life? Did it somehow become endowed with the power to change your mood as its dial finally settled? And, have you noticed how the scale simply tells you information that you already intuitively know!?

For me, the act of weighing ourselves, is similar to those bizarre instances that we turn on the TV to figure out what’s going on with the weather, when we can simply look out the window! Zero change in how many pounds you happen to weigh or upward and downward movements in your weight are pieces of information that are already pretty obvious by how your clothes are fitting at the time. Yet, the scale has become a national obsession and using it to weigh ourselves a national pastime.

Some weeks ago, I shared with you, that after long consideration, I decided to try to be friends with the gym again. I’m happy to report that our new relationship has been going very well! I’m feeling more energetic and stronger and really enjoying being in my body. However, as an introvert, I still don’t like being in a large room with a lot of random sweaty people after work! Alas, like with any relationship, I’ve had to find a certain level of acceptance about the gym’s true nature.

One sticking point that I have to confess is that the idea of “weight loss” has crept into my thoughts more and more since having regular interaction with the gym again. I used to weigh myself regularly when I attended the gym in the past. So, it almost seems “normal” and natural to fall into that habit again. However, practicing intuitive eating has taught me quite clearly that getting on the scale will provide absolutely no useful information!

When I began this amazing experiment in learning to trust my eating intuition (and therefore to trust my body) in 2007, I was certain that I would lose weight through practicing the 10 principles of intuitive eating. So, I documented my measurements and my weight to be able to note any weight changes related to my intuitive eating experiment.

I also decided to weigh myself after three months of incorporating the principles. What did the scale have tell me three months into the process? “You’ve lost no weight and gained no weight.” Hmmm…curious.

So, I weighed myself again at 6 months.  Surely, there would be some downward movement by then. What did the scale have to reveal that time? “Yeah, I’m still not seeing any movement here. You might want to try again later.”

So, I weighed myself a year later. What did the scale have to say to me that time? 
“You again, really? I’ve already told you…zero weight lost and zero weight gained.”

If “losing weight” had been my central focus, like anyone else, I would have abandoned intuitive eating relatively early on in the process. At the root of my interest in intuitive eating was that I wanted to learn how to experience balance in my body. I learned balanced and got so much more!

Why is this point so important? Because it’s relatively easy to lose weight. The bigger challenge is learning how to maintain your weight over the long-term! Through intuitive eating, I finally learned what skills and actions allowed me to maintain my weight naturally, without dieting, over an entire year.

“Dieting” never allowed me to learn what I needed to do to prevent gaining weight. And, you know what? I guarantee you that no weight loss focused diet ever could. The true nature of a diet is to keep you trapped in a cycle of losing and gaining weight. Within intuitive eating circles, the scale is referred to as a “dieter’s tool” because oftentimes it distracts your attention toward obsessing about “weight loss” when you could be using that energy to learn how to care for your body the best way you can.

As some of you know, 2.5 years into practicing intuitive eating, I noticed that my clothes were not fitting properly. As I looked closer, all of my clothes were too big. It was then that I got on the scale again and discovered that my body had released 32.5 lbs. I hadn’t even realized that my weight had changed. However, my body was feeling fantastic!

Your body can and will handle your weight easily and naturally when you shift your focus to eating intuitively and moving your body in ways that you truly enjoy.

Now, my take on how much someone “weighs” is that it’s an empirical bit of data like a person’s height. I happen to be 5’2 and 3/4 inches, though I claim 5’3. I don’t know anyone who checks their height daily, weekly, or even monthly. Maybe your height gets checked once a year during a routine exam.  So, why would we regularly check our weight?

Well, one day last month, I did find myself putting one foot and then another on the scale in the gym’s ladies room. In my mind, I was expecting to see some numerical indication of a change in my body weight, due to increasing the level of movement in my life. What did the scale have to say me this time?

“Really, Latoya? Don’t you know any better by now? Zero, Nada, Zilch.”

When you’re not looking, the scale will probably have more to tell you then when you are. Your weight does not define you. Stay focused on creating the best experience in your body right now!

Eat Intuitively, Move Joyfully, Love Your Body!